Carving pumpkins for Halloween sounds like good, old-fashioned fun, doesn't it? And that it is. But carving pumpkins and displaying them outside is not without its pitfalls. While I wouldn't want to dissuade you from this time-honored practice, let me alert you to some potential problems of which you may be unaware. And while I'm at it, I'll offer further tips to help you keep your yard safe for trick or treat.
Carving Pumpkins: Initial Safety Precautions
Carving pumpkins is messy business, so work outside. Set up a temporary workbench (e.g., lay an old door across sawhorses), preferably on the lawn. Why the lawn, rather than the driveway? Because the pumpkin pulp you'll need to scoop out is slippery. If you get some on the driveway, someone could slip on it and get hurt.
Secondly, carving pumpkins involves the use of cutting tools, such as knives. When you're done using those tools, don't leave knives lying around outside. Kids might come along and pick them up.
Carving Pumpkins: Deck, Patio or Porch Safety
When our jack-o'-lantern creations are complete, we often set them out for display on decks, patios or porches. In so doing, we may be unwittingly inviting rodents and stinging insects to the home, as these pests are drawn to the open pumpkin flesh. Of the 2, the insects are the more dangerous if you're allergic to hornet or yellow jacket stings. To counteract the threat, set out insect traps.
As jack-o'-lanterns begin to rot (they can do so quite rapidly!), the issue of their slipperiness again becomes a cause for concern. The problem is now exacerbated by their proximity to doors leading inside from decks, patios or porches. One morning, without watching where you're going, you could open the door, begin to descend the porch stairs, step on a piece of rotted pumpkin flesh -- and take a nasty spill. Worse yet, a stranger could take a similar spill on your porch and sue you.
So check your pumpkin daily for signs of rot. When it begins to feel slippery, don't take chances: throw it in the compost bin. Alternatively, instead of sculpting pumpkins to make jack-o'-lanterns, create Halloween jack-o'-lanterns from hardshell gourds. Unlike pumpkins, they don't rot -- they're permanent.
Carving Pumpkins and Illuminating Them
Further safety issues arise when your intent in carving pumpkins is to illuminate them. Candles have been used traditionally to illuminate carved pumpkins. But the open flame of a candle poses a fire hazard. If you're going to illuminate carved pumpkins on your deck, patio or porch using candles, take these safety precautions:
- Don't leave them unattended.
- Be thorough in your leaf removal efforts, so there'll be less around to catch fire.
- Don't leave them on your deck, patio or porch during trick or treat, as kids' costumes may be flammable.
A safer option for illuminating carved pumpkins is to use glow sticks. They can be bought in party supply stores. There's no flame, cord or batteries to worry about, and they're waterproof. To activate glow sticks, bend them to break the internal glass capsule.
Also remove garden hoses and other tripping hazards from yards for trick or treat. A final reminder to keep your Halloween yard safe: turn your outside light on for trick or treat.
Carving Pumpkins: The Fun Part
As stated above, the foregoing warnings are not meant to dissuade you from carving pumpkins. One or more well-placed jack-o'-lanterns do wonders for a Halloween landscape design. So now that you know how to enjoy carving pumpkins safely, a few design tips are in order:
- Before cutting, draw out the line where you'll be cutting the lid off the top of the pumpkin, around the stem, so that you get an accurate cut. Use a yellow marker (so stray marks won't show). The lid-hole should be big enough to provide access for removing the pulp from the inside of the pumpkin.
- While a circular lid is okay, a hexagonal lid is easier to put back on (you just line up the points).
- To cut the lid out, hold your knife at a 45-degree angle, as shown in the picture (above right). That way, the lid will fit in like a keystone. Otherwise, as the pumpkin begins to dessicate and lose mass, the lid is more prone to fall through the hole.
- Proceed to cut out the lid and remove it.
- With a garden trowel and spoon, scrape the pulp from the inner walls of the pumpkin, removing all the seeds and "stringy orange goop."
- Now it's time to work on the jack-o'-lantern face. As with the cut for the lid, draw outlines on the pumpkin first, to serve as guides.
- Since the cutting here is more delicate, begin by making cuts with an Exacto knife, then perforate your outlines with a flat-head screwdriver. Then carefully insert a kitchen knife into the perforations to cut out eyes, nose and mouth. Don't attempt to "saw," just use a series of jabs.
- Immediately after carving pumpkins, apply petroleum jelly to the interior and to the cuts. Petroleum jelly will slow dessication, thereby slowing pumpkin deterioration.
